The Lies in the Doctor
by stephaniew
Summary: A phone call in the middle of the night is never good news. Booth gets such a call, beginning a journey to the truth about the lies in the doctor. Please know that all isn't exactly as it appears! Let me know what you think! Now complete!
1. The End in the Call

Chapter 1 - The End in the Call

The phone chirped from its place on the coffee table, stirring Booth from an uneasy sleep on his sofa. Groggily, he flipped it open and murmured, "Booth."

"Mr. Seeley Booth?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

"Yes, this is Seeley Booth," he said, coming more awake.

"Mr. Booth, this is Julie calling from Washington Memorial Hospital. We have you listed as the emergency contact for a Temperance Brennan. I'm sorry to tell you..."

"What? Bones? Is she ok? What happened?" Booth interrupted urgently. Before the woman could continue, he was already up, shoes on and out the door.

"Mr. Booth, I'm sorry, she's been in an accident. She's in critical condition. It's best if you come down here and the doctors can explain her condition further."

Booth snapped the phone shut as he reached his SUV and jumped inside. Without hesitating, he flipped on the siren and spedbdown the street toward the hospital as quickly as the vehicle would take him.

The sun was just lightening the eastern sky as Booth ran into the emergency room. Approaching the desk, he flashed his badge and demanded, "Temperance Brennan? She was brought in from some kind of accident? Where is she?"

The nurse behind the desk tapped on her computer briefly, then lifted her phone and paged a Dr. Carter. "Dr. Carter is her attending and he'll be with you shortly. You can have a seat over there," she said, gesturing toward the crowded waiting room.

Booth raked a hand through his hair and moved to lean against a wall near the door. He was still standing there a few minutes later, struggling desperately to stay in control, when he heard a familiar voice call his name.

"Agent Booth?" called AD Cullen as he approached from another hallway. "Agent Booth, what have you heard?"

Booth looked up in surprise. "Nothing yet, sir, waiting on the doctor. Sir, no offense, but what are you doing here?"

"Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan is a very valuable asset of the FBI. Do you think you're the only one who gets a phone call if something happens to her?" Cullen muttered, staring at Booth darkly.

Booth straightened a little and replied, "Of course, sir, excuse me." He was stopped from any further conversation with the arrival of the doctor.

"Agent Booth? I'm Dr. Carter, I treated Ms. Brennan here in the ER. Perhaps you could step this way so we can talk?" Dr. Carter gestured toward one of the rooms down the hallway.

Booth sagged, paling. He knew why those rooms were used. He reached out to the doctor, barely able to draw the breath to say, "No, Doctor, tell me now. Is she...?" He couldn't get the words all the way out. He was afraid if he said them out loud, he might just lose his mind.

Dr. Carter shook his head and stuck his hands in his pockets, glancing at Cullen as he confirmed Booth's worst fears. "I'm sorry, Agent Booth. There was nothing we could do, the internal injuries from the car accident were too severe."

Booth's knees buckled, but he was able to pull himself upright again. He ran a hand over his face, covering his mouth. "No," he whispered. "No, no, no."

Cullen stepped up beside him. "Agent Booth, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He reached out and placed a hand on Booth shoulder, squeezing lightly. "Is there anyone I can contact for you? Anyone you'd like to be with you?"

Booth shrugged away Cullen's comforting gesture, shaking his head slowly. His eyes were wet, but he refused to allow the tears to fall here. There would be time for that later, when he was alone. Alone...the word struck him viscerally and he almost fell to his knees again. Alone is exactly what he was now. He took a deep breath and raised his gaze to the doctor. "Can I see her please?"

The doctor's eyes widened briefly, but he nodded. "Yes, yes, of course. Allow us a few minutes to get her cleaned up and I'll send one of the nurses for you."

Booth and Cullen stood in silence as they waited for the nurse to arrive. Several minutes later, the desk nurse appeared and motioned them to follow her. The walk to the exam room was one of the longest walks of Booth's life. The nurse opened one of the doors about halfway down the hall. "In here, Mr. Booth. You can stay as long as you like."

Booth closed his eyes, trying to prepare himself for what he was about to see. He took a deep breath and strode purposefully into the room.

She looked beautiful, peaceful, laying on the gurney. She had some scrapes and bruising on her face, but appeared otherwise unmarked. The staff had removed any evidence of whatever efforts they had taken in their effort to save her life and she was covered discreetly with a sheet. Her right arm was free of the covering and he took her hand gently. Her skin was still warm as he stroked his thumb over the back of her hand.

The control he'd been hanging onto by the very tips of his fingernails almost snapped as he stared at her face. They'd had dinner at the diner earlier the previous evening, laughing and bickering as usual. And now here she was, lying on a gurney, lost to him forever. The juxtaposition of the image of her laughing across the table from him and her still form here almost shattered him.

He sucked in another choked breath and reached out to stroke her face. "Bones," he whispered softly, "Bones...I...I..." There was so much he wanted to say to her, but the words wouldn't come. He leaned down and kissed her forehead softly. "I love you," he murmured, before straightening and pushing his way back out into the hall without a backwards glance.

Cullen was waiting outside, but Booth didn't acknowledge him as he nearly ran down the hall and out the emergency room doors into the sun.

Cullen paused a moment before pulling out his phone and dialing a private number. "It's done," he said to the person who answered at the other end and flipped the phone shut. He nodded at Dr. Carter, who had appeared at the end of the hall and had watched Booth's desperate sprint from the building. Carter nodded back, then turned to stare pensively out the door, wondering if he'd done the right thing.

* * *

**A/N **Well, what do you think? I promise that everything is not as it appears, so please bear with me! I know Cullen hasn't been around for awhile, but I just couldn't see Hacker being at all competent here. Next chapter will be a flashback to explain all!


	2. The Plan in the Meeting

Chapter 2 - The Plan in the Meeting

1 week earlier -

"Yes?" Temperance Brennan said brusquely as she picked up the phone. She was trying to get through the last edits to her latest book and didn't need any interruptions.

"Dr. Brennan? This is Assistant Director Cullen. How are you today?"

Brennan immediately stopped what she was doing and devoted her full attention to the call. "Director Cullen? Is something wrong? Is Booth alright?" she demanded, beginning to stand, her voice concerned.

"No, no, he's just fine, Dr. Brennan. Listen, there's something I need to discuss with you. In private. Can you meet me in about 30 minutes?" Cullen replied.

She paused and sat back down at her desk. His tone was off, somehow, but she didn't really know him well enough to try to guess what it was. "Uh, yes, certainly. The diner won't be busy just..."

"No, not there, Dr. Brennan," Cullen interrupted. "We need to meet somewhere more private. I'll send an address to your phone. Please be there in 30 minutes and don't tell anyone where you're going. I'll be waiting."

With that cryptic response, Cullen hung up the phone, leaving a very confused Brennan staring at her phone.

Thirty minutes later, Brennan stepped into the bar Cullen had texted her. She scanned the tables as her eyes adjusted to from the daylight to the darkened room. She located him at a fairly private table near the back and moved quickly towards him. Cullen stood as she approached the table, and pulled out a chair for her. Once she was seated, he motioned the waitress over, gesturing to Brennan to order. She asked for a glass of the house red, then turned with a questioning look to Cullen.

"Look, I know you're wondering why I brought you here and why all the secrecy, so let's just get to it, shall we?" Cullen asked. At a nod from Brennan, he continued. "Do you remember the disgruntled fan of yours who killed those two women while stalking you a few months back?"

Brennan nodded again, remembering the case. In an apparent effort to impress his favorite author, a man named Daniel Lockton had killed two young women some two months ago. While they knew his name and where he lived, they'd been unable to catch him and he'd been in the wind for the last six weeks. During that time, Brennan had received a series of disturbing notes that had evolved into serious threats on her life. The FBI had put considerable resources into tracking him, but he'd proved quite elusive. "Yes, I remember," she said, finally. "But what...?"

Cullen took a sip of his scotch and continued. "Based on the notes he's been sending and Dr. Sweets profile, we've determined that the threat Lockton presents to you has become unacceptable and we need to take him down." He waved a hand as she started to interrupt. "Yes, yes, I know you're capable of taking of yourself, but the threats have been increasing in frequency and violence and we're taking this very seriously."

Brennan sighed. "I take it seriously too, sir, but what is it that's different now? You've had multiple agents tracking down lead after lead and we don't seem to be any closer to locating him."

Cullen swirled the scotch in his glass, watching the whirlpool it formed in the center of the glass. He wasn't really sure how she would view the plan he was going to propose. It was, admittedly, a long shot and it could backfire on them painfully. But they had to do something, or they were going to lose her and likely Booth as well. "Well, the team has discussed it at length and we've come up with something we think might work to lure him out."

"You're beating around the tree, Cullen, can we please get to the point?" Brennan replied impatiently, taking a swallow of her wine.

Cullen snickered. "I think you mean beating around the _bush_, Dr. Brennan. And yes, you're right, I apologize." He sighed and decided the direct approach was always best with Temperance Brennan. "We think your death would bring Lockton out of hiding so we can capture him."

Brennan almost choked on that last swallow of line. "What?" she gasped. "My death?"

Cullen smiled grimly. "Your faked death, of course, Dr. Brennan. We need your services too much to actually kill you off."

Brennan smirked a little at that. "Of course, you do," she said. "I'm the best in my field." She shrugged a shoulder and said, "Ok, so we fake my death, he comes out of hiding and Booth takes him down. I can understand the logic. But I still don't understand all the secrecy."

This was the part Cullen had really been dreading. She wasn't going to like this part at all. He took a deep breath and plowed ahead. "It won't be Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan. He won't be involved in this at all. As far as he'll know, you're really dead." He leaned back in his chair as he finished, bracing himself for her reaction.

"No, no, absolutely not," she huffed. "There's no way I could do this without Booth. I can't let him think I'm dead. Especially not after..." she stopped then, realizing how much she was sharing.

"I understand your reluctance, Dr. Brennan," Cullen said. " I know you and Agent Booth are quite...close, but it's important his reaction be real. We know that Lockton is watching Agent Booth as well; the latest notes have referred to him and his relationship with you. Lockton will suspect a trap and look to Booth. If Booth knows it's fake, his reactions won't be sincere, Lockton will make the whole operation and we'll be right back where we started."

Brennan was silent for several moments, processing Cullen's words. While she didn't want to admit it, she knew he was right. If Booth was in on the plan, Lockton would know instantly. He'd had plenty of time to observe them and set a baseline for their behavior. If Booth couldn't "sell" his grief appropriately, Lockton would see right through the charade and who knew what he might do next. She couldn't help but consider that Lockton might blame Booth for the sting and come after him as well. She couldn't bear the thought of putting him in any danger.

On the other hand, the thought of deceiving Booth made her stomach churn with anxiety. She shuddered involuntarily as she remembered her grief when she'd thought _he _was dead and her feelings of betrayal when it turned out to be a ploy to draw out a suspect. The thought of putting Booth through something similar was distinctly unappealing. Further, Booth was the "heart" guy, the emotional one in their partnership. His feelings would no doubt be even more intense than hers had been, particularly since his recent confession that he wanted to have a romantic relationship with her.

Cullen sat patiently, sipping his drink, watching her come to the same conclusion his team already had. Privately, he was not looking forward to putting Agent Booth through this any more than she was. Booth was a good man and an excellent agent and Cullen took no pleasure in his deceit. He was aware, even if they didn't appear to be, that Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth were much more than the partners they claimed they were. But he agreed this was the only way to deal with this issue and, ironically, to keep both of them safe.

Brennan finally sighed and straightened in her chair. "Alright, I concur with your assessment of the situation and I will cooperate. I do have one request, however. There's one person we need to inform to ensure the success of this charade."

Cullen raised an eyebrow. "And who would that be?" he asked. When she gave him the name and her reasoning, he agreed. "Alright, Dr. Brennan, I think we're ready then. I'll be coordinating the efforts for the FBI, with only a very small team. We can't afford any leaks."

He stood and tossed several bills on the table to cover their drinks. He met her eyes and smiled humorlessly. "Come this time next week, you'll be dead from extensive internal injuries following a car accident."

* * *

**A/N**: See, I told you all would be explained! :) We'll meet the person she wanted to be informed (and why) in the next chapter, as well as see more of Booth. Please review and let me know what you think! Oh, and by the way, I don't own Bones. Just in case anyone was wondering...


	3. The Friend in the Lab

Chapter 3 - The Friend in the Lab

The sun had just barely broken the skyline when Camille Saroyen ducked into her office at the Jeffersonian and shut the door. She'd just received the call from Director Cullen telling her of Dr. Brennan's death and she knew she needed to be prepared for what came next. Seeley Booth was sure to show up here before too long and she had to be sure she could deal with him when he got here.

Cam sighed, dropping into her desk chair and putting her face in her hands. The lab was quiet for the moment, given the early hour and she appreciated having the time to get her thoughts together. All hell was going to break loose in a few hours, she was sure of that. And somehow, someway, she was going to have to keep things together. She was the boss, she was in charge and she owed it to Booth and to Dr. Brennan to make sure everything worked flawlessly.

Leaning back in the chair, she closed her eyes and let her thoughts return to five days ago.

_Cam had been around a good while and found that not much surprised her anymore. She was, however, quite surprised to find herself in Assistant Director Cullen's office in a meeting with him and Dr. Brennan. _

_Cullen cut straight to the point of the meeting. "Dr. Saroyen, you're aware of the threats made against Dr. Brennan by Daniel Lockton, yes?" She nodded and he continued. "Well, the threats have been escalating recently and we've determined we need to take more definitive steps to bring him in."_

_Cam nodded again and said, "Yes, Booth has kept me informed about the threats and Lockton does appear to be growing impatient. What's the plan?"_

_Cullen looked briefly at Dr. Brennan, who was staring at the floor, apparently lost in her own thoughts. "To put it bluntly, Dr. Saroyen, we're going to arrange for Dr. Brennan's death."_

_Cam gasped and turned to Dr. Brennan. The other woman looked up at her and smiled slightly. _

_"I won't really be dead, Dr. Saroyen," Brennan volunteered. "It will be faked and I'll be in the temporary company of several FBI agents until Lockton is apprehended."_

_While she obviously understood they wouldn't really be killing Dr. Brennan, Cam was still shocked at the idea of it. Then something else hit her. "Wait, why isn't Booth here? Shouldn't he be involved in this?" She noticed that both of them immediately found somewhere else to direct their gazes and she sucked in a breath. "Oh, god, you're not going to tell him, are you?"_

_Cam stood and began pacing the office. She stopped in front of Brennan's chair, waiting until the other woman raised her eyes. "Dr. Brennan," she murmured, "You know what this will do to Booth. Are you sure about this?"_

_Brennan nodded slowly. Her eyes began to glisten as she met Cam's incredulous gaze. "Yes, I'm sure, Cam. It's the only way." Brennan twisted her fingers together in her lap, staring at them, as she continued. "I know it will hurt him. I know how I felt when I thought he was dead, but..." She paused and swallowed hard. "I'm afraid that if Booth knew it wasn't true, Lockton would see right through it and he might...he might hurt Booth." She looked back up at Cam and Cam saw something she thought was perhaps a plea for understanding. "He's been talking about Booth and our relationship in the most recent letters. I'm afraid he might come after Booth if he suspected a trick."_

_Cam sank slowly back down in her chair. After a moment, she reached out to Dr. Brennan, placing her hand on Brennan's arm and squeezing gently. "Alright, ok, I understand." She shook her head ruefully before adding, "You know, if this doesn't work, Booth might end up killing both of us...for real!" She was gratified to hear Brennan and Cullen both chuckle at that, as Brennan covered Cam's hand with her own._

_Leaning back, she asked the next question that had been nagging at her. "Ok, so you're not telling Booth, and I'm sure it's only a small team at the FBI in on this," she paused and waited for Cullen's nod. "So, why are you telling me?"_

_Cullen gestured at Dr. Brennan to field the question. Brennan cleared her throat and said, "I needed someone at the lab who could get me the information I needed to try to track Lockton. Any evidence the team recovers while they're investigating will come to you and you'll be able to help me analyze it." She paused and looked away briefly before bringing her eyes back to Cam's. "Also, I wanted someone to keep an eye on Booth. Someone who knows him and cares about him." Her lips curved in a small smile as she continued, "I couldn't think of anyone better for that part of the plan than you, Dr. Saroyen."_

Cam sighed again and straightened in her chair as her phone rang. She picked it up, listened briefly and returned it to it's cradle. She'd asked security to call her when Booth arrived so she'd have a moment to prepare. She had to get this right, for all their sakes. She knew it wouldn't be hard to summon the required emotion once she saw his face. Sometimes, she thought, she really hated her job.

~~BB~~

Booth burst through the doors into the lab. It was strangely quiet, but it was pretty early still. But he knew Cam would be here. She was always the first one into the office. He didn't particularly want to talk to her; didn't particularly want to talk to anyone at this point, but he felt he should be the one to tell her that Bones was... Again, the word wouldn't come, even in the privacy of his thoughts.

His steps echoed in the silence as he made his way across the open space to Cam's office. He paused for a second before opening the door, gathering himself together. He just had to get through a few more things and then he could go. He didn't know where he'd go, just that it would be away from here...away from this place, away from all the memories, away from all the people, just away. He sucked in a deep breath, swallowed hard against the lump in his throat and opened the door.

Even if she hadn't known what was going on, Cam would've known instantly something earth shattering had happened when she glimpsed Booth's face. He looked like hell. His face was pale and drawn, his eye bloodshot and red. He looked somehow...less, diminished in some fundamental way. "Booth?" she said, standing up to go to him. "Booth, what happened? What's wrong?"

Booth stopped in the center of the room and ran a hand through this hair. "Camille, it's Bones, she's...she's..." His voice broke and he had to lean against the office table before continuing. The tears he'd been so successful in holding back so far spilled down his face as he finally said the words out loud. "She's gone, Cam, she's...dead." The last word was choked out on a sob as he finally relinquished the remaining bit of his tattered self-control.

Cam was instantly in front of him, taking him in her arms. She had no trouble finding her own tears as she held the sobbing, broken man in her arms. Seeley had always been strong, always the lion heart, but this was clearly the one event he wasn't prepared to handle. She murmured soothing nonsense in his ear for a moment before trying to ease him over to the couch tucked into the corner of her office. She was afraid he was near collapse and she wouldn't be able to hold him if he did.

They made it to the sofa at last and the initial round of heart rending sobs eased a little. Cam continued to hold him tightly, rocking slightly as she did. "Seeley," she whispered, "I'm so, so, so very sorry. I know how much you care about her and I'm just so...sorry." She couldn't think of anything else to say. What the hell are you supposed to say to a man who's just lost the woman he's loved for so long, who's been the very center of his life for so many years. She felt a brief flash of anger at the whole wretched situation. God, she hoped this Lockton guy showed his miserable face soon. She didn't know how long she could watch Booth suffer like this. For now, she did the only thing she could. She gave Seeley Booth something to hold on to as the grief continued to consume him.

* * *

**A/N**: First, I want to thank everyone so much for all the reviews, alerts and favorites on this story! I worried that no one would like it, so it's gratifying to find so many people want to read! This chapter was tough to write...it's mostly from Cam's perspective because it's hard for me to consider Booth's thoughts for too long at a time. But I will be focusing on Booth in the next chapter, as well as Brennan's thoughts after she talks to Cam.

And again, I don't own Bones, I just borrow them on occasion to torture myself and all the wonderful readers! :)


	4. The Grief in the Man

Chapter 4 - The Grief in the Man

After spending what seemed like an eternity crying himself sick on Cam's sofa, Seeley Booth pulled himself back together and pulled himself from Cam's arms. He leaned back against the back of the sofa, closing his swollen eyes and sucking in deep breaths.

"Seeley, are you...will you be alright?" Cam asked, feeling helpless and a little ridiculous. Obviously, "alright" was the last thing he was.

"Yeah, Cam, I'll be ok. I...thanks for letting me..." he shrugged, not really able to finish the thought. He stood and moved to the door. "I gotta go, Cam. I need to get out of here." He looked at her apologetically. "I can't be here when everyone comes in and you have to tell them...what happened."

Cam nodded and stood as well. She reached out to squeeze his arm, saying "I understand, Booth, it's fine." She stepped closer and waited until he met her steady gaze. "Just don't do anything...stupid, Booth, ok?"

Booth tried to summon something that looked like a smile and merely shook his head. He had plenty of stupid things in mind he could do, but nothing for Cam to really worry about. He took another swipe at his wet face, turned and made his way out of the Jeffersonian, leaving a worried looking Cam to stare after him.

~~BB~~

Although Booth had thought he wanted to be away from anywhere memories of her would dog him, he ended up sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in their spot. It was a beautiful spring day, the sun glinting off the water in the distance, the air warm and dry. It was just the sort of day they would have taken a few minutes to enjoy together. Perhaps sharing a cup of coffee or just watching all the people go by. Sometimes Booth would make up stories about the people they saw, crazy stories, just to hear her laugh.

Booth dropped his head between his knees and twisted his fingers behind his neck, trying desperately not to get swallowed up in his grief again. He had arrangements to make, people to contact, and he couldn't afford to completely lose his mind. He owed it to her to take care of things as she would have wanted. The tears he'd shed in Cam's office had only taken the very first blush off what he was feeling. The hole in his heart was so enormous, he could barely breathe, barely keep a conscious thought. It had only been a few hours and he was already missing her so badly he wasn't sure how the hell he'd make it through an entire day. And then there were going to be just more and more of those days ahead, so many more days.

Seconds stretched into minutes and minutes stretched into hours. The sun traced its usual path across the sky and the breeze slowed and stilled, then resumed. The shadows from the building and the trees and people changed and lengthened. Time passed. Life went on. People went about their business as they did every other day. Booth, from his perch on the steps, noticed little of it. His mind had only one interest. Remembering the woman he loved. Occasionally, tears would track slowly down his face. Other times, he would smile and shake his head. Some moments he even laughed out loud.

Eventually, day passed into evening as it always does. The workday ended and the busy people from earlier were replaced by couples and friends and families enjoying the excellent weather. The breeze shifted again and brought the smells of nearby restaurants. Sometimes, if you listened closely, you could even hear the laughter and conversation from the patios around those restaurants. Time passed. And life went on.

While it really shouldn't have surprised him, Booth was a little startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He raised weary eyes to meet Cam's sympathetic ones. He dropped his gaze back to the concrete steps in front of him and grunted, "What are you doing here?"

Cam took that as an invitation and settled herself next to him. She kicked off her insanely high heels and sighed in relief. "I'll assume that was a rhetorical question, Booth," she muttered as she stretched her legs out in front of her. "So, Seeley, been sitting here all day?"

Booth shrugged, tracing aimless designs on the step with a twig that had blown by. "Yes, _Camille,_" he replied, dragging out her full name sardonically, "I've been sitting here all day. Alone. As in by myself. Without anyone else."

"Don't call me Camille," she replied automatically, elbowing him lightly in the ribs.

"Don't call me Seeley," he said, a small smile lightening his face as he glanced at her and elbowed her back.

Cam stood, grabbing her shoes in one hand and holding out the other to Booth. "Come on, Booth, let's go to Wong Foo's and I'll buy you some dinner." He didn't move immediately, so she nudged him with her bare foot, saying, "Seeley, get your ass up off these steps and get moving."

He sighed and allowed her to pull him up off the steps. He knew it was useless to resist when she took on that "I'm the Boss" tone. Booth's joints protested rather loudly as he straightened, stiff from sitting in the same position for so many hours. "Alright, Cam, alright," he said as she dragged him down the steps, off toward Wong Foo's. He looked back, just once, as they stepped off into the evening crowd.

"Cam, is that you?" Brennan said as she took the phone from Agent Simons. "Cam?"

"Yes, Dr. Brennan, it's me," Cam replied. It had been agreed during the strategy meetings prior to Dr. Brennan's "accident" that Cam would initiate contact when it was safe to do so. She'd just returned home after getting Booth to eat at least a little food to soak up the scotch he'd insisted on at Wong Foo's. She'd left him snoring softly in his bed, where he'd collapsed after she'd practically had to drag him up the stairs to his apartment. "How are you feeling, Dr. Brennan?"

"Still a little woozy with a bit of a headache, but not too bad," Brennan said. They had dosed Brennan with a carefully controlled version of tetrodotoxin, derived from the fish commonly known as the "pufferfish." It slows respiration and heartbeat to a almost undetectable level, thus simulating death. It's not an ideal situation as it can cause brain damage if left too long, but it was enough to serve their purposes. "How's...is everything...I mean..." Brennan was wanting to ask about Booth, worried about how he was handling the situation, but almost felt ashamed to ask. This was, after all, her fault.

Cam tried not to sigh too loudly into the phone. She was pretty sure Dr. Brennan felt badly enough about all this without her adding to it. But she wasn't really inclined to sugar coat anything either. She was the one who'd held Booth while he sobbed his heart out then watched him drown his sadness in booze and she wasn't real happy about it at this point.

"Booth is...well...," Cam began, trying to find the best way to put it. She did sigh this time and said bluntly, "Booth's in living hell right at the moment, Dr. Brennan. I'm sorry, but I can't put it any other way. We need to figure out Lockton's deal and get him into custody soon." At her words, she heard Dr. Brennan suck in a startled breath. She felt guilty for a brief moment, but pushed it away. Brennan should know the consequences of all this, even though the whole situation was hardly her fault.

Brennan could barely get the words out, but she finally whispered, "Oh, ok, well, thanks, Cam. I'll...um...talk to you soon." She snapped the cell phone shut, nearly threw it back at Agent Simons and ran into her adjoining bedroom.

Collapsing on her bed, Brennan tried desperately to hold back the tears filling her eyes. She'd known, really, what would happen if they carried through this plan, but it was the only way. It was the only way to keep him safe. It was the only way. She kept repeating the words to herself, but it wasn't easing the strange ache in her chest. Booth was suffering, again, because of her. She'd been right when she told him he needed protecting from her.

All she did was cause him pain.

* * *

**A/N: **Wow, let me say thank you again for the reviews and alerts! I'm just stunned at the response this story has received so far! I hope you're still enjoying and that I'm doing them justice! Next chapter will be some work on the case, and, of course, more Booth!


	5. The Parts in the Sums

Chapter 5 - The Parts in the Sums

Temperance Brennan found that, while physically impossible, time did indeed seem to drag when one was stuck in a hotel room with a rotating crew of FBI agents. She'd worked on her book, listened to music, caught up on reading some journals she'd been meaning to read, done yoga in her bedroom, and edited some papers she intended to publish. She'd only been "dead" for three days, but it seemed like three years.

She flopped on the bed for approximately the hundredth time and closed her eyes. She missed Booth, she admitted to herself. And she still couldn't get rid of the tight feeling in her chest when she thought about how he must be feeling. She had only spoken to Cam twice since she'd been here and neither conversation had given her much comfort. Cam had indicated Booth was struggling to deal with her "death" and was not doing well at all. He'd lost weight already, wouldn't eat, didn't appear to do much sleeping, wouldn't come to work, wouldn't talk to anyone. Sweets had attempted to help, but was summarily thrown out of Booth's apartment with the threat that if he returned without being asked, he'd be shot on sight. Booth had apparently also been attempting to make arrangements for a service and make sure everyone who should be informed had been, but the FBI had been surreptitiously blocking those efforts. The team wanted at least another few days before any kind of memorial was held in hopes they'd catch up to Lockton quickly. It was, however, starting to look like the funeral would be the best place to lure him out.

It would have been almost funny, really. Capturing the suspect at Brennan's funeral just as they'd captured the suspect at Booth's. But somehow Brennan couldn't bring herself to be amused. She turned herself on the bed and curled up around her pillow. It wasn't like her to contemplate her emotions, much better to tuck them away, especially in a situation like this. But she couldn't seem to help herself. Her thoughts continued to return to Booth and the pain she imagined he was going through at this moment. While everyone seemed to think that Booth's faked death had not cracked her cool exterior, this was not the case. She'd spent quite a few of the nights during the two weeks before his funeral either crying into her pillow or punching it in anger.

She jumped up from the bed in frustration and began pacing the room, staring blindly at the dirty beige carpet. As she paced, another thought occurred to her. She stopped, drawing in a deep breath and wrapping her arms around her belly. What if he was so angry at her deception he didn't want to see here anymore or be her partner anymore? What if he couldn't forgive her? She was doing all this to protect him, but what if he didn't believe her?

No, no, no, she thought. He'd said he loved her, he couldn't just abandon her after this. Well, ok, he hadn't really said he loved her, but she assumed that's what he meant when he said he wanted to give their relationship a try. Of course, she thought, didn't that make her betrayal that much more ugly? If she knew he was in love with her and still agreed to deceive him with something as large and seemingly permanent as her death, what sort of person did that make her?

She began pacing again, fists clenching and un-clenching as she tried to make sense of the feelings swirling around inside her head. She wasn't any good at dealing with this sort of thing and it had been a long time since there'd been anyone in her life that mattered the way that Booth did. And that was telling as well, wasn't it, she decided. While she understood there were people in her life that would be saddened by her death, she wasn't consumed with thoughts of how this would affect those people. She was consumed with thoughts of how it would affect Booth. It always came back to Booth in the end. He was the other part that made up the sum of the whole of who she was. When that happened, exactly, she wasn't sure, but somewhere along the way, he'd integrated himself into the very center of her. And now she was afraid that part would be ripped away from her, leaving something jagged and empty in its place.

Brennan shook her head and sank back down on the edge of the bed. No, he wouldn't do that to her. He'd understand that she was trying to save them both. He'd be happy she wasn't really dead, Lockton would be in jail and life would go back to normal. They'd be partners and he'd still be her best friend. Wouldn't he?

~~BB~~

Booth sat in his apartment, staring at the bottom of his last bottle of whiskey. He'd had far too much to drink over the last few days, but sometimes it was the only way to get any relief from the unrelenting pain. He set the empty bottle carefully back on the coffee table and stood to walk to the bathroom. His legs were a little wobbly, but he steadied himself and made his way across the room. Staring at himself in the bathroom mirror, a brief moment of shock penetrated his grief and whiskey induced haze. Jesus, he looked like hell...eyes sunken in and dull, several days of not shaving having produced a ragged looking beard, cheeks hollow and bags under his eyes big enough to serve as luggage for a week's vacation.

He shook his head at the vision and leaned over to splash cold water on his face. He really should take a shower and get cleaned up. Get himself out of this apartment. Get some fresh air. Get a grip. Cam was on his ass several times a day over the phone (he'd threatened to shoot anyone coming to the door, especially Sweets). Maybe if he went to lunch with her today, she'd leave him alone for a few more days.

He flipped on the shower as hot as it would go and waited for it to heat. He really just couldn't stand the look of pity in her eyes when she looked at him. It just reminded him even more of how much he'd lost. And it wasn't just mourning for the loss of his partner, his best friend, his whole fucking world, but also for the relationship they never had, the love they never had the chance to explore. Even as he was insisting he was moving on, he knew in his heart he wasn't giving up on her. He was just giving her more time to come to the same realization he had...they were meant to be together in every way. It had never occurred to him that there wouldn't _be _more time; that he didn't have as long as it took to convince her that his love was deep and true.

Booth stepped into the steaming hot shower and groaned as the water coursed over him. He stood under the spray, torturing himself with the excessive heat for a few minutes before turning up the cold water enough to make a comfortable temperature. Stepping out of the shower, he wrapped a towel around his waist and reached to wipe the mirror free of steam. He shaved carefully, figuring that if he looked at least halfway human Cam would cut him some slack.

Clean, newly shaved and dressed in his favorite jeans and Grateful Dead t-shirt, he called Cam at the lab to invite her to lunch. She seemed surprised, but readily agreed to meet him at the diner at one. His plan was to try to convince her that he was dealing just fine with his loss on his own and she should just leave him be. He wasn't really convinced his plan would work, knowing Cam as he did, but he figured it was worth a shot. Booth understood that what he was doing wasn't healthy. All the booze and the crying and the sleepless nights and the lack of food. He also understood that his friends just wanted to help and they were suffering too. He wasn't the only one who had lost someone; the family had lost one of its own. Booth understood all those things, but for now, he just couldn't bear the thought of sharing this with them.

It might be selfish, sure, but at the moment he just didn't give a damn. He needed his time and his space to try to figure out where the hell he was supposed to go from here. A huge part of the sum of the whole that was him was gone, ripped away, leaving a jagged and empty place behind. He thought he deserved some time to grieve for all those things, to find his center again, to find his way out of this crushing agony. Then, when he was ready, when he had started the healing process, only then would he come out and join the world again.

He glanced at the clock on the wall and realized it was time to leave to meet Cam. She'd probably panic if he was five seconds late and start calling his cell. He sighed heavily and flicked off the lights as he opened the door for the first time in three days. He smirked to himself as he pulled it shut behind him, locking it.

He may as well go out now; he was out of whiskey and he hadn't yet been able to find anyone who delivered Jack Daniels.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the wait between the last chapter and this one...apparently sometimes you actually have to do work when you go to work! ;) One of my lovely reviewers wondered if Booth would forgive Brennan for the fake death and I thought it was such an interesting question, I had her contemplate it here, so thank you for that! Also, I had to stop and fan myself a few times as I was writing the shower scene...is that a bad sign? ;) I'll try to update a little quicker with the next chapter...some things are coming to a head, so please stick around!


	6. The Rash in the Decision

Chapter 6 - The Rash in the Decision

Tapping at the door to the adjoining room Dr. Brennan occupied, Agent Simons called softly, "Dr. Brennan? Can you come out for a moment please?" Simons had no idea what she did in there to occupy herself, but she'd barely been seen over the last five days. She'd go out to the hotel gym at least once a day, often in the middle of the night, claiming she couldn't sleep. Brennan opened the door, looking at him questioningly. He took a brief moment to observe her, before responding. She looked like hell. Her eyes were sunken in and dull, her cheeks hollow and bags under her eyes. The whole being "dead" concept was obviously not suiting her. He didn't really understand what drove this woman, but clearly something was eating at her. But she didn't talk to them unless she had to, and given her reputation, he didn't really feel like risking her wrath to ask.

"Dr. Brennan, I'm sorry to disturb you, but Assistant Director Cullen is here and he'd like to speak with you for a moment," Simons said.

Brennan glanced past the agent in front of her to Cullen and she moved out into the main living area in the suite. "Good evening, sir. Do you have news?" she asked hopefully, trying keep the emotion in her voice to a minimum.

Cullen shook his head and motioned her to sit in the small chair opposite him. The other agents made themselves scarce to give them some privacy. "No, Dr. Brennan, not much new really. We're still about six hours behind him as far as we can tell."

The team had made some progress on tracking Lockton, but he always seemed to be one step ahead of them. As soon as they had tracked him to one location, they found he'd already picked up and moved on. It was amazing how he could manage to keep them at bay, almost as if he knew they were closing in and was able to get out just in the nick of time. Based on the items he'd left behind at various locations, he was aware of Brennan's "accident," but did not appear to suspect the sting.

Brennan dropped into the chair, glaring at Cullen. "If you don't have any new information, what are you doing here?" she asked, unable to bother with maintaining any pretense of civility.

"I'm here to let you know we've decided to go ahead and allow the funeral to take place on Sunday. We're just not getting close enough to Lockton and the evidence is drying up. We don't have any new leads, so we're going to have to try to lure him out." Cullen paused, letting her take in the news. "I'm sorry this has taken so long, Dr. Brennan. I know this must be difficult for you," he said gently. "But we'll pick him up at the funeral on Sunday and this will be over."

She shook her head and stood quickly. "You can't guarantee he'll appear at the funeral," she said angrily, waving a dismissive hand in his direction. "You can't guarantee anything. Sunday could come and go and he's still out there. You have no real ideas on how to catch him at all, do you?" Her voice rose steadily as she spoke until she was nearly shouting.

Cullen raised an eyebrow and stood to meet her face to face. He spoke quietly and evenly in sharp contrast to her anger. "No, Dr. Brennan, I can't guarantee anything. However, given the information currently available to us, this is the best course of action. If we receive better information, we'll make the appropriate changes. Further, we're keeping the plans for the funeral under even tighter wraps than our previous plans to ensure there are no gaps, no leaks, no mistakes." He reached out to gently squeeze her arm. "I promise you, we _will_ find him and end this."

Brennan shrugged away from his grasp and stepped away. Her gaze on the floor, she murmured, "Fine. Thank you for coming." She turned and strode back to her bedroom without a backwards glance.

Cullen sighed heavily, running his hand over his head. Obviously he'd been dismissed, he thought to himself with a bit of a chuckle. He understood what she was feeling, so he wasn't bothered by her anger or dismissive behavior. This was a difficult situation for everyone, particularly her and Booth. He just hoped he could keep the promise he made her before the whole thing went to hell.

~~BB~~

The clock showed 2:37AM when Brennan looked at it for the millionth time that night. She rolled over to her other side, putting her back to the clock. It felt like it was taunting her, even though clocks were inanimate objects and incapable of such things. She'd been unable to sleep for more than an hour or two at time for the last several days of her incarceration. When she did sleep, she often had nightmares, the most frequent of which involved Booth walking away from her as he told her he couldn't trust her anymore.

She flopped onto her back with a long sigh. It was still two more days until the funeral. Still two more days of this waking nightmare. And that, of course, assumed they actually caught him on Sunday. If not, who knew how much longer this might go on?

Sitting up, she punched the pillow into another shape and dropped down on her stomach, eyes back on the clock. She wondered what Booth was doing right now. Was he sleeping soundly? Or was he awake and staring at the clock? Did he have nightmares too? Cam had reported that she'd had lunch with him the previous day and he didn't really look much better than he had originally. Cam could see he was drinking too much and eating too little, but he'd refused to discuss the situation with her. Now there was going to be a funeral.

Brennan sat up and propped her pillow behind her back. She was afraid of what the funeral would mean. Somehow it seemed so final, even though she wasn't really dead. What if Booth went to the funeral and it provided some kind of closure for him? She didn't see the need for funerals, personally, but Booth had assured her it was a valuable part of the grieving process; it helped people move on. She slapped her hands on the bedsheets in frustration. These "what ifs" were totally irrational and unproductive, but her brain simply wouldn't shut off.

Suddenly, she jumped up from the bed. There was only one real way to put an end to this and it didn't have anything to do with putting Lockton behind bars.

~~BB~~

It was nearly 3:30 in the morning when she reached Booth's apartment and let herself in quietly. She'd told the agents she was going to the hotel gym, something she'd started doing often in the middle of the night when she couldn't sleep. They'd not batted an eye as she left the room dressed in a black yoga outfit, black cap on her head, her hair tucked up inside. She'd been very careful to keep to the shadows as she'd left the hotel and walked several blocks before hailing a cab. The cab had let her out a few blocks from Booth's apartment building and she'd carefully approached from the back. He'd shown her what he'd called "the secret bat route" into the building one day, although she had no idea what bats had to do with anything. One rarely saw bats in DC anyway and why Booth would want them in his building was simply beyond her.

She paused for a moment as she shut the door behind her, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim light in the room. She looked first to the sofa, to see if Booth had fallen asleep there, but didn't see his body outlined there. She started to make her way carefully toward his bedroom when a sound startled her.

Freezing partway across the room, she waited to see if the sound would come again. Yes, there it was again and it appeared to be coming from Booth's bedroom. Brennan began moving again, slowly and carefully, listening intently, trying to determine the source of the noise she was hearing. When she reached his bedroom door, she put her ear up to the door, waiting to hear the sounds again.

She silently unlatched the bedroom door and pushed it open slightly. Booth was laying on his back on the bed, the sheets twisted around him. She took in his bare torso and legs where they emerged from the tangled linens. She tried to dismiss the warm feeling filling her as she stared at him. She'd missed him so much, she thought, sighing lightly. She stood for a moment, wanting simply to watch him sleep, when he startled her by calling her name.

"Bones, Bones, wait!" he said, reaching a hand out. Brennan jumped, thinking at first he'd seen her, but realizing quickly he was dreaming.

"Bones, no, please," he mumbled, his head twisting back and forth on the pillow. His hand stretched out again, reaching for something apparently beyond his grasp. "No, Bones, don't go, don't leave me." His breath caught, almost a sob as his arms and legs further twisted the sheets. "Please, you can't leave me here alone, don't..."

Tears welled in Brennan's eyes as she understood he was dreaming about her, about her death. Her heart squeezed in her chest and she took the last few steps to the edge of the bed. If she hadn't been sure that coming here was the right idea before, she was certainly convinced now. She reached out, touching his shoulder lightly, calling his name as she did. "Booth, Booth, wake up."

Booth continued to writhe against the sheets, still caught up in the nightmare. She tried again. "Booth, wake up, please," she called softly as she shook his shoulder more forcefully.

Suddenly, Booth shot straight up in the bed, nearly knocking her backwards. His eyes met hers and focused on them, confusion crossing his face as he tried to understand what was happening.

"Booth," she murmured, "are you awake?"

He continued to stare at her for several more seconds before finally whispering, "Bones? Bones, is that really you?" He shook his head and blinked his eyes a few times, clearly trying to discern if she was real or a part of his imagination. "I...is it...Bones?"

She smiled at him tearfully and nodded slightly. "Yes, Booth, it's me. I'm really here." She paused, unsure how to explain her presence. She stepped a little closer to the bed, involuntarily reaching her hand out to him. Now that she was here, she was unable to stay away from him any longer.

Before she could get her hand completely extended or even blink, Booth had reached out, grabbed her hand and pulled her down onto his lap. His arms tightened around her so forcefully she could barely breathe, but she found she didn't really care. She wrapped her arms around his waist and relaxed fully into his embrace.

Booth buried his face in her shoulder, catching the scent of her shampoo as he breathed in deeply. It seemed as if it was the first real breath he'd had in days. His hand ran up and down her back as he pulled her even closer, afraid she might slip away and he'd wake up after all. He pressed his lips against the soft skin of her neck, drawing in a shuddering breath as tears welled in his eyes. She felt so real, so perfect there in his arms, he couldn't even begin to muster a coherent thought to ask her how it was possible. He honestly didn't care, it didn't matter, all that mattered now was right there in his arms.

No words were needed now. Relief, sorrow, love, pain, anger, joy...all mingled together in the sweetness of the reunion. There was only the sound of soft breaths, the whisper of tears down pale cheeks, the brush of hands against skin as they rediscovered each other and reveled in the joy of simply being in the other's presence.

It could have been a minute later or an hour, neither was really sure, but Booth finally pulled away, gazing into her blue eyes, still shining with unshed tears and broke the silence.

"Bones," he whispered, stroking her face with his hand, whisking away a few tears with his thumb. "What happened?"

* * *

**A/N: **Ahh, reunions are sweet aren't they? Thanks for the title of this chapter goes to Nedra1212...she messaged me with a suggestion to use this as the title for a chapter in which rash, irrational decisions are made and it fit just perfectly with where we were headed. It won't be a painful rash though... Thanks much! :) Next chapter will be up over the weekend...don't expect the moonlight and roses to last, we still have some tough discussions to get through. Please stick with me, there's still some interesting ground to cover here!


	7. The Story Within the Story

Chapter 7 - The Story Within the Story

It was early the next morning, but not oddly early, when Booth left his apartment, on his way to the Jeffersonian. He was carefully not to be overly cleaned up, overly dressed, or overly anything as he readied himself. It was difficult to try to regain the pall of grief he'd shed last night, but from the nearly panicked way Bones had implored him last night, he was realizing the need for it. As he drove, he considered what had happened last night yet again, having convinced himself it wasn't really a dream.

_"Bones? What happened?" he'd asked her, finally clearing his mind enough to think at least partly rationally. _

_She'd flinched and started to turn away from him, glancing at the clock as she did so. Whatever she saw made her jump up from the bed, pulling herself from his grasp and backing away from the bed. "Booth, oh, no, I'm sorry, but I have to go." _

_He blinked at her, sitting up on his knees on the bed, reaching for her, grabbing her hand desperately. "Wait, no, Bones, not yet, I haven't..." he stopped as she shook her head, trying to pull her hand away. The thought of letting her go now, when he'd only had her in his arms for what seemed like seconds was physically painful. He was just getting used to the idea that she was alive and she wanted to leave?_

_Apparently he must have said what he was thinking out loud, because she responded, "I don't want to leave, Booth. I honestly don't, but I've been gone too long already and I have to get back." She dropped her eyes to their hands, squeezing his gently. "I put us in danger by coming here in the first place and the longer I stay, the worse it is. It'll be light soon and I'll be at risk of being seen. I'm sorry, Booth, for everything." Her eyes were filled with tears again, her voice high and slightly desperate._

_Booth found he couldn't resist whatever note he heard in her voice. Whatever was going on was clearly serious, given it had caused her to fake her own death, and she was still clearly frightened by whatever the situation was. He too looked at their hands, pulled hers to his lips and kissed her palm gently. Then, in a moment that seemed to happen far too often between them, he allowed her to slip from his grasp as she moved toward the door. She faced him again when she reached the doorway, her eyes still wet, but her face composed again. _

_"It's Lockton, Booth. He's watching you, so please, you need to continue the charade. He can't suspect there's anything unusual about my "death," or I'm afraid..." she paused and swallowed hard. "I'm afraid he'll come after you as well," she whispered. She turned back to the door, swiping hurriedly at the tears on her cheeks. "Talk to Cam tomorrow, she can tell you everything," she said as she slipped through the door and was gone._

_Booth rocked back on his heels and ran a hand over his face. Lockton? That's was this was all about? And _she_ was worried about _him_? He shook his head and flopped down on his back. Yeah, Cam would definitely be his first stop in the morning. _

Pulling into the parking lot at the museum, Booth sighed and tried to gather his thoughts together again. Cam, he thought, had better have an awful lot of really good answers.

~~BB~~

Cam was sitting at her desk, running through emails, when the door to her office burst open and Booth appeared in the doorway. Surprised to see him here, she simply stared at him as he strode purposefully across the room, stopping only when he'd reached the very edge of her chair. Now wary, she looked up at him with carefully blank face as he leaned into her personal space.

"Camille," he hissed, leaning even closer still, "you _knew _she was alive and you didn't tell me? What the hell is going on? Why is she in danger? Why does she think I'm in danger? I want to know _everything _and I want to know _now_!"

Oh no, Cam thought, as she looked carefully back at her monitor and continued to nonchalantly skim through her emails. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Seeley."

Booth took her arm, a little more roughly than he'd intended, and turned her back to face him. "She came to my apartment last night, Cam. She told me Lockton was after her, after me, and that you could explain everything to me. I know it wasn't a dream and I need for you to tell me what you know." He paused, relaxing his hold on her arm. "Please Cam, I have to know what's going on," he whispered huskily.

Cam closed her eyes briefly. Ah, so that explained it. Brennan had broken and gone to see him. Perfect. She wondered if Cullen and the FBI team knew what she'd been up to and that they were about to have an angry, hurt, desperate, protective Booth on their hands.

"Alright, Booth, yeah, I knew," Cam began, standing up and leading them both to her office couch. Booth flinched slightly when he remembered the last time he'd been on that couch, bawling his eyes out. "I'm sorry you had to go through all that," she said, catching the flinch, "but it was felt it was the only way." She explained the meeting she'd been to in Cullen's office with Dr. Brennan and the plan they'd hatched to lure in Lockton. "We still haven't had any luck in tracking him down. He's always one step ahead of us somehow."

Booth stood and began pacing the office. "So you all decided that I couldn't be trusted to go along with the charade? That I couldn't protect my partner from the nutjob that was stalking her?" He ran his hand through his already ruffled hair, trying to modulate his voice down from the near shout it was escalating to with each word. "Is that what I'm hearing, Cam? Seriously?"

Cam stood and faced him, placing her hands on his arms, waiting for his eyes to meet hers. She could understand his anger, his fear, his confusion, all of it, but if they were going to get through this, she needed him to be focused. "No, you know damn well that's not what anyone was thinking, Seeley. I know this is a lot to take in and it's tough to understand, but you're going to have to put all that aside for now and focus. This is all coming to a head and if you want to get her back all in one piece and keep her safe, you're going to have to get it together and get in the game," she said sternly.

Booth sighed heavily and nodded. "You're right, Cam, I'm sorry. This isn't your fault and it wasn't your choice." He smiled slightly and squeezed her shoulder. "Thanks for being there for me, as always."

Cam returned the smile and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "My pleasure. But you come in this office and get in my face like that again, Seeley Booth, and you might not walk away."

Booth laughed loudly, for what seemed like the first time in years. Cam laughed with him, taking in the change since she'd seen him last. He looked complete again, as if the hole caused by Brennan's loss had been neatly refilled, with little evidence it had ever been there. But she had known Booth a long time and she saw the cracks and uncertainty left behind that would likely never fully heal. Pausing in her review of Booth for a moment, she said, "Booth, there's something else."

Booth sobered instantly, slipping easily back into his FBI agent persona. "What else do you know, Cam?"

"It's not anything I know, just a suspicion," she replied, "a gut feeling, if you will." She stepped away from him and turned back to the computer, clicking a few times to pull up the files on the Lockton investigaton. "I think there's a mole. Someone at the FBI who's keeping Lockton up to date on the investigation."

Booth sucked in a surprised breath, turning his attention to the files she was referencing. "What? You've got to be kidding? Doesn't Cullen have this locked down to just a small team?"

Cam nodded. "Yes, it's a pretty small group that knows about Dr. Brennan's death, but there's a larger pool of agents that's been working all the leads. He's still wanted for the murder of those two young girls; Dr. Brennan's death didn't stop anything on that part of the investigation." She motioned to the timeline she'd fashioned based on all the reports filed over the last week. "Look, you can see it on this timeline. Every time, he manages to disappear just as the agent's are closing in. We've been about six hours behind him at each location. How could he possibly know every single time unless someone was tipping him off?"

Booth read through the information she'd put together, a sinking feeling in his stomach. "Damn it, Cam, I think you're right." He stood, placing his hands on his hips as he tried to get his thoughts in order. Years of training and instinct told him something was rotten about this whole affair. "Alright, Cam, I need print outs of everything you have on this, all the information on file." She nodded, handing him a file from under a stack on her desk.

He took the file and took another deep breath. "I need to know where she is, Cam. If there's really someone in the FBI keeping Lockton informed, she's in more danger then we thought and I'm not leaving her alone." He dropped his eyes to the floor, then raised them again to meet Cam's concerned gaze. His voice was husky and his eyes haunted when he spoke again. "I can't lose her again, Cam, I won't."

* * *

**A/N: **First, I'd just like to thank everyone again for all the reviews and alerts and hits to this story! I'm overwhelmed at the response it's gotten and I appreciate everyone who's taken the time to read! Ok, there wasn't a ton of fireworks here, I needed to talk to Cam first, so she got some of the brunt of the anger. But we're not done yet...we've still got a stalker to catch, a possible mole to route out, and Booth and Brennan have to talk.


	8. The Pain in the Lie

Chapter 8 - The Pain in the Lie

Agent Simons was on watch duty when a sharp knock sounded at the door. They weren't expecting any visitors today, so he approached the door cautiously, hand on his weapon. Taking a quick look through the peephole, he rolled his eyes and stepped back. "Shit," he muttered, glancing over at the other agent on duty with him and waving her off.

Simons briefly considered not opening the door, but given the look he'd seen on the visitor's face, he didn't want to be the one paying for a new one. He swung the door open and stepped back. "Agent Booth," he said, gesturing the other man to enter.

Booth nodded, a grim look on his face. "Agent Simons," he responded politely. "Where's Dr. Brennan?"

Simons nodded toward the adjoining bedroom. "That one," he said.

Booth nodded again, strode across the room and tapped on Brennan's door. When she opened it, he saw her eyes widen and her mouth form an O of surprise. He didn't wait for her to speak, just pointed and said, "Get your things, we're going."

Something in his face must have told her not to argue for once, so Brennan didn't utter a word, just turned and started gathering her clothes into her bag.

Simons stepped forward, holding up a hand. "Whoa, wait a minute, Booth, you can't take her out of here! We're in the middle of sting operation," he said. "And she's supposed to be dead, for God's sake!"

Booth turned to face Simons as Brennan came into the room with her things. His hand automatically dropped to the small of her back as he guided her to the main door. The dangerous look on his face caused Simons to step back involuntarily before he straightened and stood his ground. "Simons, if you think you can stop me, you're welcome to try. But I _am _taking her out of here. You want to do it the hard way, let's go."

The two agents locked eyes for a long moment. Eventually, Simons sighed and stepped to the side.

"Tell Cullen I'll call him when we're safe and settled," Booth said tightly as he opened the door and ushered Brennan through it. He looked back over his shoulder, adding, "And tell him he's got a mole."

~~BB~~

Booth had Brennan out of the hotel and into his SUV in short order. After making sure she was tucked in safely, he started the engine and maneuvered them into the heavy lunchtime traffic. Both occupants seemed reluctant to break the silence that had settled over the vehicle. Booth's jaw was tense, his face dark, suggesting conversation was the last thing on his mind at the moment. Brennan was...well, confused was probably the best way to classify her emotions. She directed her attention out the window, watching the scenery speed by as they made their way out of the city.

They'd been driving for about an hour when Booth began to slow, turning into a long driveway. Brennan had no idea where they were, and since the drive had been made in complete silence, Booth had not volunteered any information about their objective. A few more turns landed them at what was apparently their final destination.

It was a small house, tucked back behind a lush grove of trees. The sunlight appeared to magnify the colors of the well-tended flowers gracing the front. A small port completed the quaint, but lovely, scene.

Booth pulled the SUV around under the carport in the back and hopped out. Brennan followed slowly, taking in a deep breath of the fresh air. They weren't really all that far from the city, but it certainly felt a million miles away. She could hear birds chirping, only a faint whisper of traffic noise from the main road they'd come in on. It was idyllic and Brennan couldn't stop the smile that brightened her face as she took it all in.

The tightness in Booth's jaw loosened a little as he watched her. The sun glinted off her hair, pulling out the reddish strands, giving it a fiery appearance, but it was the giddy, child-like smile on her face that stole his breath. It was clear, though, that the last week had not been any easier on her than on him. He hadn't noticed when she'd sneaked into his bedroom the previous night, but he could see now the dark shadows under her eyes, the paleness of her face, the hollows in her cheeks. He felt a sudden, unbidden urge to pull her into his arms. He still hadn't really gotten used to the idea that she was alive and then he'd been distracted by this whole situation with Lockton and the mole. He wasn't really sure what to think at this point.

Rationally, he knew she'd done it to protect them, to find the truth, to bring the murderer of those girls to justice. But in his heart, he wondered how she could fake her death when she knew what it would do to him. She knew how he felt about her, she knew he'd kill for her, die for her, anything. But she didn't think he could protect her from this guy? Didn't think he could handle the truth? In the end, he just really didn't understand _why_.

He shook his head, clearing the thoughts away. He had to focus. They needed a plan to catch this guy and reveal the mole on Cullen's team. He didn't have time to go on some crazy emotional journey that would likely only leave him broken again. He needed to keep her safe, and to do that, he needed to be at the top of his game.

Booth's eyes drifted back to Brennan again. She was now stretching, her arms over her head as she twisted out the kinks from the drive, still clearly enjoying the beautiful spring day.

"You should take off your shoes, get your feet in the grass," he said, softly, breaking the long silence.

Her eyes jumped to his. Seeing his smile, she returned it. "That's a good idea, Booth," she replied just as softly. She bent down and pulled off her shoes and socks before stepping into the cool grass. "Mmmm," she murmured as she dug her toes in, closing her eyes.

He cleared his throat and opened the back of the SUV, pulling out their bags. "Uh, well, Bones, I'm gonna take these inside," he muttered and strode quickly into the house.

She looked up as he spoke, but he was gone before she could respond. She sighed softly, not really sure what to do. She didn't know what to say to Booth about what happened. Truthfully, she was afraid of what he might say to her. Despite his initial reaction to her return, she was afraid that once he'd had time to think about it, he'd realize how horrible she was and he'd leave her. But she had no one to blame but herself. She had made her decision, now she had to live with the consequences. The problem was she didn't know if she _could _live with it if he walked away.

~~BB~~

Brennan sat quietly on the back porch watching the sun set as she sipped a cup of coffee. She and Booth had made dinner and cleaned up the kitchen. Small talk had been the only thing to break the silence. He'd explained the house belonged to a buddy of his who was working overseas. The friend had offered Booth the use of the house should he want to get away from the city. Obviously, Booth hadn't really considered using it to keep himself and Brennan away from a killer/stalker or hide from the FBI.

Booth joined Brennan on the porch with his own cup of coffee. Again, the silence surrounded them. Neither was sure if it was a comfortable silence, but neither was sure how to break it. The night settled in around them, the chirping birds of earlier replaced by toads and crickets. The quiet surrounded them, cloaking them, sliding over and around the tension between them.

Brennan broke the stillness this time. "Will we contact Cullen tomorrow? Tell him of your plan?" she asked.

Booth leaned against the railing, staring out into the night. "Yeah," he said, "we'll talk to him in the morning. Get things setup for the funeral." He hesitated, then said, "Bones...I...we...you..."

"I know, Booth, we should talk. I'm sure you have a lot to say to me after what I've done, but..."

"Wait, what?" he interrupted, turning to look at her. The light from the small light by the door silhouetted her, so he couldn't see her face. "Bones, you didn't do this. Lockton did. Lockton and whoever he's working with at the FBI." He stepped toward her, trying to see her clearly.

She shook her head slowly, regretfully. "Yes, Lockton killed those girls and was stalking me, but _I'm_ the one who decided to go along with the plan to fake my death. _I _agreed to keep you out of it. _I _agreed to let you and everyone else think I was dead," she said, her voice rising with each word, the emphasis increasing with each phrase. "_I _did all those things, not Lockton." She stood and moved toward the door, her head down, her hair falling across her face, hiding it from him just as effectively as the shadows had. "I was trying to protect you, I thought I was saving you from him, but I ended up hurting you more than he ever could have. I'll understand if you can't forgive that," she murmured faintly as she opened the door and stepped inside.

Booth reached out to her, but too late. He was stunned at her words. She thought he was _angry _at her? That he wouldn't _forgive _her? He dropped his head, exhaling slowly, dragging a hand through his hair. Good God, did she really not have any idea what she meant to him? Did she really not understand at all? Not realize she was the center of everything?

Did she really not know he had no intention whatsoever of living without her?

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks yet again for all the reviews and alerts on this! I hope you enjoyed this little bit more insight into what our two favorite characters are thinking. Not much excitement here, but we needed the transition and hopefully we'll get some action in the next chapter! I'll have to see what the muse has to say about it... ;)


	9. The Parallels in the Thoughts

Chapter 9 - The Parallels in the Thoughts

Director Cullen was seated at his desk working through a seemingly bottomless stack of paperwork when his private line rang. He raised an eyebrow, but knew right away who it was. Only a few people had this particular number and only one of those people was currently in a situation where it would be prudent to use it.

He picked up the phone and said, "Booth, this had better be damn good."

Booth chuckled and switched the prepaid cell he was using to his other hand so he could pick up the cup of coffee on the table in front of him. "Isn't it always, sir?" Booth replied, leaning back in the chair and winking at Brennan, who had turned to look at him from her position at the kitchen sink. She rolled her eyes at him and turned back to the breakfast dishes.

Cullen sighed. "You're lucky I don't have your ass in a sling right now, Agent Booth. And I might yet if you don't do some explaining pretty damn quick." He paused, his voice growing more serious. "Since this thing is probably about to blow up in our faces, I'm not even going to ask how you knew Dr. Brennan was still alive, let alone how you found her. Tell me why you think there's a mole."

Booth's face darkened as he sat up straighter in the kitchen chair. "Well, sir, it was actually Cam who pointed it out to me," he said, flinching a little when he heard the heavy sigh on the other end. He was sorry he had to drag Cam further into this, but it was going to come out one way or another. "She was suspicious when it kept coming up how close behind Lockton our guys were each time. She figured it couldn't be a coincidence that he was clearing out just as we closed in on him each time. When she showed me the file entries and timelines, it all made sense."

Cullen rubbed his eyes with one hand, thinking for a moment. "Yeah, Booth, it was all too much to be just a coincidence. The same thing had occurred to me as well, but I didn't have any real evidence." He hesitated a moment, then asked, "You or Cam have any ideas on who it might be?"

"Not specifically, no. But given that it appears Lockton doesn't know she's alive, it would have to be someone working the murder cases, which is a larger group," Booth replied. "But I do have an idea on how we can get them both out in the open."

Cullen listened as Booth outlined his plan for taking down Lockton and the insider at Brennan's funeral on Sunday. He listened silently for the most part, only occasionally asking a question or two. "Alright, Booth, I think that works. Call me back if anything changes," he said.

"Yes, sir. I'm meeting with Cam this afternoon to finalize everything. If we make any changes, I'll call you with the details," Booth said. "Thank you, sir."

"Humpf," grumped the director, "thank me when this all finally goes away." He sighed again, more deeply this time. "And Booth?"

"Sir?"

"Be careful. We might lock this down tighter than a submarine hatch, but that doesn't mean Lockton doesn't have all this figured out already. He's been one step ahead of us for months and he's damn clever. This could all go wrong in a hurry," Cullen answered. "Both you and Dr. Brennan are needed around here and I hate funerals."

Booth smiled grimly. "Oh, I know, sir. I hate funerals, too," he said and clicked the phone shut.

~~B&B~~

"Hey, Cam, how's it going?" Booth asked boisterously, his face filling the screen on her computer. They'd made arrangements earlier that morning to meet via web conference to cover the last details of Booth's plan to capture Lockton and the FBI mole.

She rolled her eyes, turning down the volume on the transmission. "Wow, do I wish I had real life volume control for that man..." she mumbled to herself, as she smiled at him. He looked so much better, she thought. The dark circles under his eyes had already started to fade and he didn't look nearly so hollow as he had in the days following Brennan's accident. In spite of the situation they were dealing with, he actually looked happy. "Everything's good here, Booth," she said, raising her voice slightly so he could hear her better. "Is our friend there with you?"

Cam watched as Booth scooted over to make room for his partner to be seen as well. "Hi, Dr. Brennan," Cam said, as the scientist settled herself next to Booth.

"Hello, Cam," Brennan replied, trying to push Booth over further. He responded by leaning harder against her, earning himself a frown and a smack on the arm from the scientist. "Booth," she hissed, "stop crowding me!" Booth simply snickered, moving himself only a millimeter further away, earning himself a heavy sigh this time.

Cam smiled as she watched them. God it was good to see them together again. Dr. Brennan's appearance looked improved as well, although not as much as Booth's. To Cam it appeared something was still weighing rather heavily on Brennan's mind, even though she was clearly happy to be back with Booth. Knowing the two of them, they probably hadn't really talked yet about the whole incident, preferring instead to focus on the search for the stalker. Cam just hoped they figured it out before they came back to work. She'd had about all the tension, grief, pain and negative emotions she could handle.

"Alright, children, stop pushing and let's get down to business, shall we?" Cam said with a smile. The partners settled down, Booth still just as close to Brennan as when they'd started.

"Is everything arranged on your end, Cam?" Brennan asked, slipping easily into a more business-like mode.

"Yes, Dr. Brennan, everything is ready here. I didn't have any trouble setting things up as you'd requested," Cam replied. "Do you really think this will work?"

Booth and Brennan looked at each other briefly and Booth shrugged. "I sure as hell hope so, Cam. If it doesn't, our cover will be blown and we'll back where we started."

Cam sighed. "Great, and we'll have been through all this for nothing." She shook her head and gave them a smile. "Well, we'll just have to hope for the best then. Is there anything else you two need right now?"

Brennan shook her head, as Booth answered, "No, Cam, I think we're all set. We'll see you tomorrow then." He smiled and waved.

She returned his smile. "Good luck to you both," she said seriously, smile fading. She clicked off the web cam and closed the window. She closed her eyes for a moment, imagining all the ways this could go wrong. It was risky, but they were running out of time and options.

~~B&B~~

After clicking off the web conference with Cam, the partners sat on the sofa quietly, each lost in their own thoughts, and a little unsure where to go next. Everything was ready to spring the trap at the funeral the next day, so they didn't have any more work related items to discuss. The tension between them, which had eased as they planned for Lockton's capture, rose again as both found themselves thinking about the past week.

Booth knew Brennan was waiting, he could feel it. Based on her words on the porch the previous night, he figured she thought he'd help catch the stalker and the mole and then, when it was all over and the adrenaline had passed, he'd realize he hated her for putting him through so much agony. He'd tried to subtly reassure her during their time together. He'd tried to make everything as normal as he could, teasing her, bickering over the details of the plan, the jostling over the view on the web cam. But he was pretty sure it wasn't getting through. With Bones, it was best to be direct, but he didn't really want to start any big emotional confrontations right before the big takedown. He couldn't afford to be distracted; this was too important.

Brennan, for her part, was still attempting to sort through the sea of unfamiliar emotions she'd been feeling since this whole thing had begun. She knew she should get up, find something else to do, anything to get away, but the thought of moving away from Booth caused an almost physical pain in her chest. She knew this wasn't going to last, so she wanted to savor the contact with him while she could get it. He'd been very kind to her since they'd been reunited, but she knew it wouldn't stay that way for long. Once they captured Lockton and the mole and everything was done, he'd remember what she'd done and it would all come apart. She found she was dreading the next day and the potential end to the case. But she didn't really know what to say to him and she didn't want to distract everyone from the case with some emotional scene.

She sighed lightly and decided to take a chance, given she wouldn't have much more time to do so. She leaned her head on Booth's shoulder, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath. He smelled amazing. Warm and clean and...Boothy. She felt him stiffen beneath her cheek and she blushed, starting to pull away. Before she could move, however, Booth shifted, putting his arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer. She could feel his breath in her hair and hear his heartbeat beneath her cheek. Tears filled her eyes suddenly and she willed them not to fall. She relaxed a little, settling into his embrace. She swallowed hard and it occurred to her how typical this was for them. Now that she had started to realize how much this relationship meant to her and how much she needed to be with him, he would be realizing her betrayal. Now that she realized how much a part of his life she was and how much he cared for her, he would be realizing just how dangerous she was and how impossible she was to love. She surreptitiously wiped at her eyes, deciding to try to enjoy the time she had, so she would have something to remember when it was all over.

Booth was momentarily surprised when she leaned her head against his shoulder, but he recovered quickly and wrapped his arm around her. He pulled her as close as he dared, burying his nose in her hair, inhaling the scent. She smelled amazing. He desperately wanted to drag her onto his lap and kiss her until she surrendered. It killed him to watch her struggle with her feelings, he wanted to help her, but he knew she would only shut down on him again. Nothing had really changed since he'd ask her to take a chance with him. He couldn't afford to push her again, for both their sakes. He just didn't think he'd be able to take it if she told him no again and he knew she'd feel so guilty, she'd probably run off, just like she did after he woke from his coma. He sighed lightly. How typical of them. Even as close as they were, as attuned to each other as they were, they were always just out of sync. Looking down, he watched her swipe tears from her eyes, trying to hide it. He pressed a kiss on her hair, so lightly she probably wouldn't even feel it and tightened his arm around her. He figured he might as well enjoy the feel of her in his arms while he could since it likely wouldn't last nearly as long as he'd like.

And so they sat, each consumed with their own thoughts, neither conceiving how similar those thoughts might be. Neither understanding that _this _time they're both ready. Neither knowing the other can't let go. Neither imagining they're finally about to collide, to become one.

And neither will be the same again.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry about the delay in posting...work intrudes on play yet again. I'm working on the next chapter today as well and should have it up by Wednesday. Thanks for your patience and I hope you continue to enjoy! :) Please review either way, I love to hear from you!


	10. The Trick in the Traitor

Chapter 10 - The Trick in the Traitor

"Booth, damn it, take the shot!" Brennan gritted out, struggling futilely against Lockton's hold.

Booth shook his head again, blinking rapidly. "No, Bones," he gasped, "I can't, I don't have a clean shot."

Lockton dragged Brennan further away, keeping himself very carefully hidden behind her. He was well aware of Seeley Booth's prowess with firearms and he wanted to be sure the only shot available was through Brennan. "Forget it, Agent Booth," he shouted, continuing to back toward the exit. "I'm not giving you any kind of target, you'll have to shoot her to get at me and we all know you'll never be able to do that!"

Booth glanced between Lockton, Brennan and the door. Damn, Lockton was close. He knew what was going on, so clearly he had some kind of plan. Booth couldn't let out him of here, especially not with her. They had snipers all around the building, but Lockton was proving himself quite clever in not presenting a clear target.

Booth's eyes scanned the room, looking for something, anything to help him. Anything to stop what he knew in his gut was about to happen. He wondered how this had all gone wrong so damn fast. Everything had fallen into place just as they had planned. But as Cullen had warned, Lockton was one step ahead of them yet again.

When Brennan had made her appearance at her own funeral in their attempt to push Lockton to reveal himself, he was ready for them. He had known all along she wasn't dead. The mole had been a part of the very small, trusted team who had been a part of faked death. Booth had actually been in the same room with her briefly; Agent Amy Carrigan, the female agent who'd been on duty with Simons at Bones's hotel. Cullen's team had grabbed her as she tried to escape from the back of the funeral home, but Lockton had already gotten the drop on them and snatched Bones. Lockton knew, of course, about Brennan's self-defense skills and positioned himself in such a way so she wouldn't be able to use any of her martial arts moves on him.

Now here he was staring helplessly as his partner was about dragged from the building by a psycho killer.

"Booth," he heard her say and he met her eyes. She was calm, preternaturally so, and she didn't divert her eyes from his. "Booth," she said again, "you have to take the shot." He shook his head slightly, but his gaze narrowed on her left shoulder. She spoke again, whispering, only for him, those blue eyes clear and bright. "I trust you, Booth, it's ok."

He swallowed hard, his eyes now pleading with her as Lockton took another step away. "Bones..." he moaned, sighting his handgun as carefully as he'd lined up any of the sniper shots he'd ever taken. "I..."

"I know, Booth," she soothed, "I know."

Booth breathed out, back in, out halfway. He stroked the trigger, met her eyes one last time, saw her nod, and squeezed the trigger. The shot echoed deafeningly through the nearly empty room. Brennan jerked, Lockton reflexively released his hold and she dropped like a stone. The next shot found its target in the center of Lockton's forehead, knocking him backward.

Before the smoke had cleared and the echo died, Booth was on his knees next to Brennan, gathering her into his arms. He yanked off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulder, trying desperately to stop the flow of blood. Without looking up from her face, he barked "Get a medic in here now!" and heard quick footsteps running toward the front of the building.

"Bones? Bones? Can you hear me, baby?" he begged, holding her as close as he could without disturbing his makeshift bandage. Her eyes fluttered open and he sighed in relief.

"Booth?" she murmured, trying to see his face.

"Yeah, baby, I'm here, you're ok. Just stay with me, Bones, ok? Just stay with me," he whispered, his voice breaking several times. "The EMTs are on their way in and we'll get you fixed right up, ok?"

She smiled a little and nodded, turning her head into his chest. She felt something drip on her cheek and looked up to find his eyes full of tears. She raised her other arm, placing her hand on his cheek, wincing a little at the movement. "Booth, it's ok," she whispered, wiping the tears from his cheeks. "You did the right thing and Lockton's gone. I'll be..." Her words were interrupted as she slipped into unconsciousness.

The EMTs entered the room then and swooped Brennan out of Booth's arms to begin stabilizing her. Once they got an IV started and some bandages on her wound, they carefully placed her on the stretcher and moved her out as quickly as they could. Booth followed, carefully gathering up his self-control, knowing he had to keep it together for her.

They loaded her into the ambulance, shouting orders and vitals back and forth. Cullen approached, but didn't speak. Booth looked at him blankly, then stepped into the ambulance. The EMT working on Brennan looked up at him, opening his mouth to object to his presence in the ambulance, but closing it immediately on noting the wild, desperate look in the agent's eyes. He looked out at Cullen, who nodded once. Booth didn't see anything but Brennan. He sat down on the bench next to her and took her hand, stroking the back of it absently as he stared at her face, willing her to open those beautiful eyes again.

Someone slammed the ambulance door shut and pounded the back. Sirens blaring, they took off through the heavy DC traffic. The EMT worked steadily, checking her vital signs, making sure the IV was in place and the drip appropriate. He called ahead to the emergency room, giving them a heads up on her condition. He glanced at the FBI agent periodically, taking in his blood soaked t-shirt and the tender way he held the woman's hand. His face was carefully blank, but every so often, the medic got a glimpse of his eyes. They were still wild, still desperate, and more than a little dangerous.

This guy was hanging on by a thread, and this woman was the thread.

~~B&B~~

When Cam, Angela, and Hodgins arrived at the emergency room, they found Booth sitting in the waiting room, forearms resting on his knees, head dropped down, staring intently at the floor. Angela moved to approach him first, but Hodgins pulled her back. She was angry about the deception, scared for Brennan and furious that Booth had shot her; mostly certainly not anything Booth was capable of handling at the moment.

"Ange," Hodgins said softly, holding his wife close to his side. "Let's wait a sec, ok?"

Angela looked at him, then back at Booth, really seeing him this time. Her anger faded as she took in his appearance, the bloody t-shirt he was still wearing, the haunted look on his face. "Yeah," she said softly, leaning against Hodgins, "you're right." She was still angry at the all the secrets, that she thought she'd lost her best friend, only to find she was alive and then shot. But she could see Booth was suffering enough at this point and she couldn't bring herself to add to it by berating him.

Cam was left to approach him alone. She sat next to him, placing a comforting hand on his back and leaning close to speak to him quietly. "Booth?" she said, "is she going to be ok? What have you heard?"

He didn't look up at her, but responded dully, "She's in surgery now."

Cam looked at her watch. They would have arrived at the ER about 45 minutes before, probably taken her into surgery shortly after that, so it would be several hours still before they knew any more. She hoped Booth could hold on that long. She could only imagine what this was doing to him. It would be bad enough if she'd been shot in the line of duty by a bad guy, but it was a hundred times worse because _he'd _been the one to fire the shot. On top of the fact that just barely a week ago, he'd been summoned to this same hospital to see her dead body. Cam sucked in a deep breath and stood, patting him on the back as she did so.

When she reached Angela and Hodgins, she said, "She's in surgery right now. It'll be a couple more hours before we know anything. Based on what I could gather at the scene, it was clean shot through her shoulder." She glanced over her shoulder at Booth, ensuring he couldn't overhear. "He placed it as carefully as he could to keep the damage to a minimum. She should be fine."

Angela sighed in relief, sagging against Hodgins. Her gaze returned to Booth and she murmured, "What about Booth? Is _he _going to be alright?"

Cam looked back at him again, then returned her gaze to Angela. Her eyes clearly reflected her concern for her old friend. "God, I hope so, Angela, I really hope so."

~~B&B~~

Several hours passed with all of them sitting in the waiting room. Booth never moved from his position on the edge of the chair. He refused coffee, a walk, conversation, any attempt to reach him. Eventually, they stopped asking and left him to his internal torment.

Finally, the surgeon entered the waiting room, pulling off his surgical cap as he approached. "Agent Booth," he called, scanning the room.

The voice cut through Booth like a knife and he jumped to his feet instantly. "Yes, Doctor, I'm Agent Booth."

The surgeon approached them and stopped in front of Booth. He took in the clothes, the wild eyes and thought for a moment the agent was going to collapse. He hurried to reassure him, saying, "Agent Booth, your partner is going to be just fine. The shot was very clean, just some muscle damage, which we were able to repair quite easily. She's lost some blood and she's going to be sore for awhile, but she'll be just fine."

Booth's knees weakened under him and he barely noticed as both Cam and the doctor reached for him. He dropped back into the chair, whispering a short prayer of thanks. "Thank you, Doctor," he whispered, "thank you."

"You're welcome, of course, Agent Booth," the doctor replied. Cam took the doctor's arm, leading him a few steps away to get further information on Brennan's condition. The doctor described the wound in more technical terms to her, reassuring her they had the full story. She'd be on antibiotics to fight off possible infection from the bullet and she'd have her arm in a sling for a few weeks, but there would be no permanent damage, just a small scar.

She thanked the doctor again and turned back to talk to Booth. Her eyes fell on an empty chair. He was gone. Confused, she lifted her gaze to check the rest of the room, only to catch a glimpse of him as he strode from the hospital and into the warm DC afternoon.

~~B&B~~

Brennan came back to consciousness slowly. Various shapes in the hospital room came into focus as she opened her eyes and tried to clear her head.

"Hey, sweetie," she heard Angela's voice say softly. She turned her head toward the voice and frowned.

"Ange?" she said, still trying to sweep the fuzziness from her head.

"I'm here, sweetie," Angela replied, taking Brennan's hand and squeezing it gently.

Brennan tried to sit up, wincing at the pain in her shoulder as she did. The events of the morning crystallized in her head instantly, causing her to gasp.

"Booth?" she whispered, looking frantically around the room for him. "Booth? Where's Booth?"

Angela exchanged a quick look with Cam, who'd approached the other side of the bed. Angela touched Brennan's good shoulder gently, pushing her back down into the bed. "Booth's...ummm...he's not here right now, sweetie."

"Not here?" she replied, her eyes almost immediately filling with tears. "Oh, no!" she gasped, struggling against Angela's touch, still trying to get upright. "Oh, Ange, you've got to find him...you've got to find him now! Please!"

Another voice joined the conversation then. "I'll go, Dr. B." Hodgins said. "I'll find him and bring him back here for you."

Brennan laid back into the pillow again, still fighting off tears. "Thank you, Jack, thank you," she mumbled as she drifted back into semi-consciousness.

The three friends looked at each other, all of them concerned about what was happening here. Angela turned to her husband, saying quietly, "You'd better go, Jack. Please find him and get his ass back here quick. I don't know what she might try if he's not here when she wakes up again."

Hodgins nodded, pulling on his jacket as he moved quickly toward the door. "I know. I'll take care of it."

Angela and Cam were left alone to stare at the woman in the bed in front of them, each wondering if the partners, their friends, their family, could find their way to each other this time.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, I hope you, my lovely readers, don't think this is really over the top. It just kind of wrote itself that way, not anything that I'd intended to happen! Also, thanks so much again to all of you who are reading this! The reviews and alerts and favorites really keep me going and I appreciate all the support! This story is finally winding down at last, and I must say I'll be sad when it's done! Please review and tell me what you think!


	11. The Fear in the Heart

Chapter 11 - The Fear in the Heart

Hodgins sat in his car, head leaned back on the seat, eyes closed. He was methodically running through possible locations where he might find Booth. He considered and rejected The Founding Fathers, the Mall, Wong Foo's, the Hoover Building, and the Jeffersonian. All were too crowded, too familiar and with too much chance of running into someone he knew. "If I were Booth, where would I go?" he muttered to himself. "If I were Booth and I was _upset, _where would I go?"

Seconds later, he sat up with a grin and pulled out his phone. A few quick taps and he had the information he needed. Starting the car, he pulled out of the parking deck and merged into traffic.

A short drive later, he parked the car and stepped out onto the pavement. He stood for a moment, taking in the architecture of the Church of St. Michael the Archangel. It was incredibly beautiful with intricate carvings of angels and cherubim. Taking a deep breath, he pulled open the heavy wooden doors and stepped inside.

Immediately the scent of incense overwhelmed him. The sanctuary was lit only by candles, supplemented by some light from a few stained glass windows. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he spotted the target of his search. Booth was seated by himself, a few pews from the back. He was kneeling, his forearms resting on the back of the pew in front of him, head bowed.

Hodgins approached quietly and slid into the pew beside Booth without a word. They sat silently for a few moments, then Booth eased back off his knees and onto the bench. Hodgins glanced over at him and cringed slightly. Booth's face was drawn, his eyes haunted. Five o'clock shadow darkened his jaw, enhancing the rather dark and dangerous vibe he was currently working. He looked like a man on the edge. Hodgins was just hoping he wouldn't be the one to push him over it when he asked him to come back to the hospital.

"What are you doing here, Hodgins?" Booth growled, narrowing his eyes at the scientist. He'd come here to get away, be alone. He apparently needed to find some better private spots since everyone seemed to be able to find him whenever they wanted.

Hodgins met Booth's hostile gaze without flinching and said softly, "Dr. B. woke up and asked for you."

Booth ended up being the one to flinch and drop his eyes at those words. "She asked for me?" he murmured, trying to fight back the hope rising within him.

"Yup," Hodgins replied. "Quite frantically in fact. She tried to get out of bed and when that didn't work, she demanded that we find you as soon as possible." Hodgins paused, trying to decide whether to include the last bit. "She...she seemed worried about you. I told her I'd come get you and she slipped back under."

Booth leaned his head against the back of the pew, closing his eyes with a heavy sigh. That figured. He had shot _her _and she was worried about _him_.

Hodgins was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why did you run, dude?" He didn't back down when Booth glared at him again, just stared at him calmly, his bright blue eyes concerned, curious, and a little annoyed. Hodgins knew just as well as anyone else, perhaps better, how much the two partners meant to each other. He also knew that Booth wasn't the type to run away when things got tough. Obviously the last week had been difficult for both of them, for varying reasons, but the bond between them was stronger than anything Hodgins had ever seen. And yet, for some reason he wasn't able to fathom, Booth was sitting here in church instead of by Brennan's bedside, holding her hand, waiting for her to wake up.

Booth turned his head back to stare at the frescoes on the ceiling. It was an excellent question. Booth had never run from anything in his life. Yet here he was, sitting in a church, instead of sitting by Bones bed, holding her hand, waiting for her to wake up. After several minutes of silence, he whispered, never taking his eyes from the ceiling, "Because I'm afraid..."

Hodgins lifted an eyebrow. "You? Army Ranger sniper, FBI special agent, all-around alpha male specimen, Seeley Booth?" Booth didn't move or respond, just continued his contemplation of the frescoes. Hodgins huffed out a breath and murmured, "Afraid of what?"

"I'm afraid we're not going to be able to come back from this," he said heavily. Hodgins didn't have to ask who "we" was. "I'm afraid she'll hate me for shooting her. I'm afraid her guilt over the whole faked death thing will make her push me further away. I'm afraid..." He paused and swallowed hard before whispering, "I'm afraid I love her too much to let her walk away again."

Hodgins sat for a moment, stunned, and frankly shocked, at the vulnerability Booth was revealing. He wasn't entirely sure how to respond to Booth's comments, but he knew he'd have to if he had any chance of getting him back to Brennan. He'd already been here for some time; he didn't want to push it much further or she'd wake up.

He cleared his throat and turned his gaze to the alter to give Booth a little space. "You know, Booth, to be honest, I've never seen anything like you and Dr. Brennan. The connection you two have is amazing, and, honestly, a little strange." Booth snorted. "Well, it is!" he said, smiling a little himself. "But that connection, from all the evidence over the last five years, is absolutely unbreakable. Criminals have tried; the Gravedigger and Epps. Other people have tried; Tessa, Catherine, Sully, your boss. Even the two of you have tried. But at the end of the day, it's always been you and Dr. Brennan, sometimes bent, a little scorched, maybe somewhat worse for wear, but inescapably connected. Always there for each other." He shook his head, before continuing in the same soft voice, "It's stunning and kind of inspiring to watch actually. You two have something that most people look for their whole lives. Tough or not, afraid or not, you can't let it go. It's not right."

He was quiet then. Both men were silent for a few moments. Hodgins finally turned his head to cast a glance at Booth. Hopefully his little speech wasn't too much, too crazy sounding. His eyes met Booth's and he was astonished to find the other man's eyes were wet with tears. Great, now he was really in trouble. He'd messed this up completely. His wife was going to kill him and then let Dr. B have a go at him.

Before Hodgins could finish mentally flailing himself for screwing up his mission, Booth straighted in the pew, then stood. "You're right, Hodgins, you're absolutely right."

"I am?" the confused scientist replied. He recovered quickly and stood as well. "Right, yeah, of course I'm right, Booth."

Booth clapped him on the shoulder, pushing him out the pew at the same time. "Nothing comes between Bones and I, ever. Not my fear, not hers, not anyone or anything." He smiled at the bug man, who still looked a little shell-shocked, and said, "Come on, buddy, let's get back to that hospital!"

~~B&B~~

Angela looked up from her magazine as Brennan stirred in the hospital bed. She'd been out for some time now, restless the whole time. Angela was sure she'd heard her mumbling Booth's name a few times, her face pulling into a frown. She glanced at her watch; it had been about 45 minutes since Jack had left to find Booth. It was now looking like Brennan was actually going to awaken this time, her eyes fluttering, struggling to come back to consciousness. And Jack hadn't returned.

Brennan's eyes drifted open slightly, blinking at the light in the room. She looked around, trying to get her bearings. Angela stood and moved closer to the bed, stroking her hair away from her face. "Bren? Sweetie? Can you hear me?"

Brennan nodded, shifting painfully on the bed. "Yes, Angela, I can hear you just fine." As the memories flooded back at her again, she sat ups suddenly, sucking in a gasp as the pain flooded her sore shoulder.

Angela reached for her, trying to help her find a comfortable position. "Sweetie, let me call the nurse, they can give you something for the pain."

"No, Ange," Brennan replied, shaking her head vehemently. "It'll make me sleep again and I need to talk to Booth. Where is he? Where's Booth?" Her voice rose with each syllable, fear and some other emotions she couldn't quite identify taking her voice out of her control.

"Ummm," Angela began, before she was interrupted by a voice from the door.

"I'm here, Bones, I'm here, it's ok." Booth said soothingly as he rushed into the room. He made his way to the other side of the bed, gently running his finger down her cheek.

Brennan relaxed back on the bed, finding that Angela had raised the back into a more comfortable reclined position. She reached her free hand out to Booth and he immediately wrapped his fingers around hers, his other hand coming to stroke the back of it. Their eyes met and held. Something passed between them, along that unbreakable connection Hodgins had identified. Some of the worry eased from Booth's face; some of the panic eased from Brennan's. Booth slowly raised her hand to his lips and he kissed the back of it, eyes never leaving hers. A small smile turned up the edges of her lips; a similar smile crossed his, dimpling his cheeks.

"Ahem!" came a voice. "While I hate to interrupt this touching moment, I'd like to know what the hell has been going on around here!"

Startled from their little bubble, the partners looked for the source of the demanding voice and the foot they could hear tapping the linoleum. Angela looked at them sternly from the other side of Brennan's bed, arms crossed, the look on her face telling them she wouldn't be put off any longer. Brennan glanced at Booth, who shrugged, the smile on his face widening. This had been her plan and he was leaving it to her to explain.

She frowned at him, causing him to snicker softly, and turned her attention back to Angela. "Well, Angela," she began, "you see, I...well, it was sort of like when Booth and I went undercover, except this time, I was playing dead." She stopped when they all burst into laughter. A frown creasing her brow, she said, "What? I don't understand what's so funny."

Angela shook her head at Brennan. "Seriously, Bren? Faking your death and going undercover are not exactly the same thing!"

Booth stepped in then and explained all that had happened over the last week, including him pulling Brennan from protective custody and coming up with the plan for the funeral. When he reached the place in the story where Lockton grabbed Brennan, his voice broke a little and he stopped, looking at Brennan, the pain of that moment clear on his features.

She picked up the story at the point, explaining that Lockton held her such that she couldn't disarm him or get away, even with all her martial arts skills. Lockton was also aware of Booth's excellent shooting skills and was able to use Brennan as a human shield. Her eyes never left Booth's face, although he couldn't quite meet her eyes, as she talked about her insistence that Booth take the shot anyway to take down Lockton.

She tugged a little on her hand, wanting Booth to look at her, to see that she was fine, that she had trusted him. He finally raised his eyes to hers and she could see what the decision had cost him. Her next words were meant for him, to make him understand. "I trusted that Booth was quite capable of placing the shot in such a way as to cause me the least amount of harm while still causing Lockton to release me. And he did what was necessary. The doctors say the damage was quite minimal and that while I'll be sore for awhile, there will be no permanent injury." She squeezed his hand and smiled. "I'm alive, Lockton is dead and the FBI mole was apprehended. It's over." She looked over at Angela, her face contrite. "I'm sorry you had to think I was dead, Ange."

Angela leaned forward and patted Brennan's leg. "I know, Sweetie, but I understand why you felt you had to do it. And as you said, you're alive, he's dead and it's all over." She paused, then glared at the two of them. "But I swear to you, if you two ever try a stunt like this again, you will be in so much trouble, fake death will seem like a day at the beach!"

Hodgins, who had been mostly silent through this discussion, cleared his throat. "Well," he said, touching his wife's shoulder gently, "we should probably get out of here. I'm sure there's probably plenty of evidence to be processed." Angela looked up at him, her expression clearly saying she thought he was nuts to be talking about processing evidence, but when he cast his eyes pointedly at Booth and Brennan, she took the hint.

"Right, yeah, evidence and stuff," she said, standing and gathering up her things. She bent over the bed to give Brennan a careful hug. Her mouth close to Brennan's ear, she whispered, "Make sure you talk to him, sweetie. He was absolutely devastated when he thought you were dead and then he had to shoot you. You two need to stop dancing around each other and be honest about how you feel." She kissed Brennan's cheek and turned to the door, dragging Hodgins behind her. He grinned, waving as she pulled him out the door, leaving the partners alone.

Now that they were alone, neither seemed to know what to say. They looked at each other, waiting for the other to speak. There was so much to say, but it was difficult to know where to start.

Brennan finally broke the silence. "Booth," she murmured, her eyes on their intertwined hands, "I...there's something...there's something I need to know." She could feel his eyes on her face, but she just couldn't meet his questioning stare. Her fingers tightened on his as she spoke. "I need to know..." Her voice cracked and she swallowed hard against the lump that had suddenly formed in her throat. "I need to know if you can forgive me for betraying you," she said in a rush, and then waited to hear her fate.

* * *

**A/N: **Hope you all enjoyed this one! Booth and Hodgins don't get to bond as much as they really should, but I always see Hodgins as such a romantic, he could say what needed to be said. Oh, and there's no Church of St. Michael the Archangel that I'm aware of, but I chose St. Michael as he's the patron saint of police and the sick. And, thanks to my wonderful reviewer **Southun Lady** for the idea to have Booth at church! Next chapter, the last one I think, is in the works, I'll try not to make you wait so long for it! Thanks as always for all the support, it means a great deal that so many people are enjoying this story! Standard disclaimers still apply! :)


	12. The Truth in the Doctor

Chapter 12 - The Truth in the Doctor

_"I need to know if you can forgive me for betraying you," she said in rush and waited to hear her fate._

"Betraying me?" Booth said, surprised. This was not what he was expecting. "What are you talking about, Bones?"

This was not the response she was expecting either. She tilted her head and looked at him, surprised. "I didn't tell you about the plan to capture Lockton by faking my death. I was so angry with you when I didn't know your death was faked and then I did the same thing to you." She paused, her eyes filling with tears. "Except I was even worse, really. You thought someone was going to tell me, but I knew for certain that you would think it it was real. And I did it anyway. I'm so sorry, Booth, I shouldn't have..."

He leaned forward and placed a finger across her lips, silencing her before she could finish her apology. "Bones, stop. I understand why you did what you did and I certainly don't see it as any kind of betrayal." He shrugged, saying, "Yeah, I was upset; I was upset when I thought you were dead and I was upset when I found you were alive, but I understand the situation."

She just stared at him for a few moments, searching his eyes, waiting to see the anger she was expecting, but not finding it. "I...I don't understand..." she mumbled, still staring at him, frown creasing her brow.

Booth laughed softly. "Geez, Bones, if you _want _me to be mad at you, I guess I could try," he said, cupping her cheek in his hand and stroking the soft skin with his thumb.

That finally got him the smile he was looking for, lightening the tension between them a little bit. Brennan leaned into his hand slightly, her eyes back on his. He grew serious again; he did have one question for her. "I would like to know more, though, about why you agreed not to tell me. I didn't really get the whole story on what was going on."

She sighed, pulling away from his touch. He let her go, dropping his hand to her arm, squeezing it gently and giving her an encouraging smile. "I wanted to tell you, Booth. It went against every rational thought I had to leave you out of something so important." She shook her head ruefully. "But the most recent letters from Lockton indicated he'd been watching us...together..." She swallowed, not entirely sure how to verbalize this part. She felt him squeeze her hand gently and decided to just take the plunge. "He thought were a couple...in love...he...," her words tumbled over each other in her haste to get them out. She swallowed hard again and continued, her gaze fixed firmly on the blanket covering her. "He was jealous, wanted to get you out of the way. He was stalking you just as much as me. I was afraid..." She stopped then, again unsure if she should continue.

"Afraid?" he asked quietly, "Afraid of what?"

When she didn't answer, he reached back up and touched her face lightly, finger sliding under her chin. "Bones?"

Brennan closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the bed. She knew how much of herself and her feelings she was revealing, but she couldn't seem to stop. She couldn't lie to him. And if she were honest, she couldn't lie to herself anymore either. Her voice wavered as she spoke again. "I was afraid he would hurt you," she whispered finally. "I was afraid he would come after you, so I had to protect you. And I was afraid he would figure out my death wasn't real if you knew about it." She raised her head and looked at him at last. Booth sucked in a breath at the pain he could see in her eyes. "I couldn't put you in any danger, I couldn't risk him hurting you, so I agreed to go along with Cullen's plan when he approached me." She blinked, her eyes tearing again. "I knew _I_ was hurting you...again...but I couldn't risk Lockton injuring you in any way. I considered the idea that you might not forgive me for lying to you, but it seemed a lesser price to pay than losing you completely."

Booth stared at her for a long moment, not saying anything. Brennan's insecurities reasserted themselves full force as she processed his silence as rejection; as the appearance of the anger she was still convinced he should feel. She suddenly found something on the other side of the room extremely fascinating, staring at a speck on the wall intensely. "So anyway," she said calmly, trying to smooth her face into an unreadable mask, "I understand why you wouldn't want to work with me anymore, since I betrayed your trust as my partner. If you'd like, I'll ask Cullen to re-assign you..."

Her words were cut off by his lips pressing softly against hers. He kissed her gently, his lips just brushing against hers, his hand finding its way into her hair. In her shock, she at first didn't move, but she recovered quickly and found herself leaning into him. Booth feathered more kisses against the corner of her mouth, her cheek, her forehead.

Booth leaned back slightly, catching her eye. "Sorry," he murmured, not looking the slightest bit so, "but that seemed like the best way to stop your crazy talk and convey my feelings at the same time."

Brennan shook her head, unable to resist returning his infectious smile. "Booth..." she began, but stopped as he leaned toward her again, his gaze on her lips.

He smirked at her, his warm brown eyes dancing. "See? It works every time," he said. His eyes darkened slightly as he watched her face, growing more serious as he did so. "Bones," he said, "I'm not going anywhere and I don't want to be reassigned. My place is with you, always." He shook his head at her as she started to interrupt. "No, Bones, that's it, so knock it off."

She nodded, then looked uncomfortable as she picked at the blanket with the fingers not bound up in the sling. He hadn't yet responded to her confessions and she was afraid of what he might still have to say. He knew her better than anyone she'd ever known, so he would have realized what she was really saying when she explained why she agreed to Cullen's plan. His kisses were evidence that he'd heard her and understood, but her bruised heart was afraid to believe until she heard him say it out loud.

And because Booth did know, exactly as she thought he did, perhaps even better than she realized, he also knew what was floating around in that brilliant mind of hers. He had heard what she was _not _saying when she explained her motives, and he had heard and understood what the words she _did _say actually meant.

"Bones," he said, quietly, untangling his fingers from her hair to tilt her chin up, forcing her to meet his warm gaze. He watched the fear, insecurity, nervousness, and hope flit through her beautiful blue eyes and smiled. "Bones, what I heard in what you just said was nothing like a betrayal. What I heard was an incredibly brave woman willing to risk everything to her to save someone else. What I heard was born of caring, not lies. What I heard was a reflection of a warm and open heart, not one driven to deceive." His hand caressed her cheek as he spoke, telling her everything she could want to hear with his words, the truth of them reflected in his eyes.

He watched as the swirling emotions in her eyes shifted from so much fear and uncertainty to hope. Booth leaned closer, his warm breath brushing her skin, causing the blue of her eyes to deepen. "I know I told you I was moving on, that I was looking for someone else to love me for a lifetime, and I'm sorry for that. It's the first time I've ever lied to you and I knew it was a lie when I said it. The love of my life was standing right in front of me already, no need to look any further." He heard her suck in a surprised breath, but continued on, "But I was afraid. I was afraid of losing you for good if I pushed you any further. I was afraid I wasn't good enough for you. I was afraid of a lot things, so I let you go."

"And then today, today, I had to look you in the eye while I...," his voice broke, but he swallowed hard and continued, "while I shot you. And it was just too much. I found a church nearby, trying to think, trying to figure out what to do next, worrying about what you'd say when you woke up from surgery, afraid again." He paused, then said, "But Hodgins, yes, Hodgins," he repeated with a grin in response to her raised eyebrow, "reminded me that our connection is too rare and too important to be afraid of or to let go." He felt her slide her hand from his and he tensed, his heart skipping a beat, unable to stop himself from thinking for a moment he'd misread the whole situation.

Brennan laid her hand gently on his face, stroking her thumb across his cheekbone, before she whispered, "Hodgins was right." Booth's eyes flew to hers and whatever he saw there caused a dazzling smile to spread across his face. Her smile echoed his as her thumb moved to slide across his lower lip, her breath hitching as she watched his eyes darken again, this time in a way that tightened her stomach. She swallowed, and said, "I had a lot of time to think while I was stuck in that hotel room and even though I was quite sure you'd be so angry with me you'd never want to see me again, I understood the reasons behind my decision. I had to protect your life, even if it meant I could never be a part of it again. But the longer the charade continued, and the more I heard from Cam about how you were feeling, the less able I was to justify my decision. My heart...hurt...even though that's impossible, that's what it seemed like." She frowned, still clearly sifting through all the feelings.

Booth chuckled softly, turning his head to kiss her palm briefly. "Not ridiculous at all, Bones," he said with a smile.

Her face cleared and she smiled in return, grateful he understood, as always. "I'm tired of running, Booth, and I'm tired of being afraid," she murmured, her hand slipping from his face. Her chest felt tight and her breathing shallow, but she persisted, taking that last step and laying it all on the line. "I've always focused on the risk that I'd be hurt if I allowed myself to love, but I've come to realize that there appears to be a great deal more to be gained than lost." She took a deep breath, meeting his eyes with a shy smile, and said, "I love you, Booth, and I want to give us a chance."

The brilliance of the smile on his face completely dwarfed anything prior, and she was a little stunned by what she saw shining in his eyes.

Booth could hardly believe what he'd just heard. He hadn't been sure he'd ever hear those words from her and had completely underestimated how it would feel when he finally did. It was absolutely exhilarating and he wanted to swoop her up in his arms and never let her go. As her injuries prevented such a grand gesture, he settled for sliding his hand behind her head, and pulling her toward him for a long, slow kiss. His lips brushed hers softly, tenderly, before his tongue skimmed along her lower lip, asking for more. Her lips parted instantly and he groaned softly as his tongue slid against hers. Her answering moan, as she tangled her free hand in his t-shirt, urged him on and he devoured her mouth until he finally had to pull away to catch his breath.

They simply stared at each other for a long moment, their breathing slowly returning to normal. Eventually, when his brain re-engaged, Booth realized he hadn't actually answered her implied question. He sat forward, eyes serious, but radiating such happiness it took Brennan's breath away. "I love you, too, Bones. More than I thought it was possible to love someone. I've been lucky enough to find the other half Plato said we search for our whole lives."

Booth took her hand, holding it as if he'd never let it go. Brennan smiled at him, squeezing his hand, then drawing him toward her once again. Only the sound of their accelerated breathing filled the room; no more words were needed.

The lies had been brushed away and the truth in the doctor had finally been revealed.

The End

* * *

**A/N: **Well, there we have it folks! I hope you liked how it all turned out! I very much enjoyed writing this and I'm touched by all the alerts and favorites and reviews it garnered. I've got some other ideas in mind, and I'm also up for prompts, so if you have any story suggestions, please feel free to PM me! See you on the flip side! :)


End file.
